Man jailed for running 'sophisticated' brothel business

A Dublin man who ran a city centre brothel operation which was targeted in a garda investigation into organised criminal prostitution called "Quest" has been jailed for three years and fined €24,000.

Martin "The Beast" Morgan (aged 44), was convicted in February of organising prostitution and running a brothel described by Judge Frank O’Donnell at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court as: "A magnificent operation, highly sophisticated and highly rewarding and not a petty little business working on a shoe string."

The jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts that he organised prostitution and ran a brothel at a Bachelor’s Walk apartment on dates from August 22 to October 10, 2005.

Morgan formerly of Blacksheep Road, Blanchardstown and with addresses at Blackstock Road, London and at Herbert Lane, Ballsbridge denied three charges at the start of his 18-day trial.

The jury returned its unanimous guilty verdicts on both counts following more than 11 hours deliberation and having spent two nights in a hotel. Judge O’Donnell earlier withdrew the third charge that Morgan allowed the apartment to be used for prostitution and directed the jury to return a "not guilty" verdict on it.

Morgan was arrested with an English-woman called Deena Edridge when gardaí under the direction of Detective Inspector Pat Lordon raided the Bachelor’s Walk apartment on the night of October 10, 2005 following a surveillance operation which began in August 2005.

Edridge was jailed for 12 months last April after pleading guilty to allowing the apartment be used as a brothel.

She claimed in evidence on day-15 of Morgan’s trial that she owned "the whole escort operation" but that she let her employees believe there was someone else in charge because she had been robbed twice in Ireland and because of the numerous garda raids on her business.

She agreed with prosecuting counsel, Mr Fergal Foley BL, that the brothel "made several thousand Euro on average per day" but denied she would earn €2m a year as "the owner", saying: "A lot of the money was put back in the business."

Edridge also agreed with Mr Foley that she made a profit of €4,100 from the 7pm - 5am shift on October 6, 2005 which she said was "the least busy day" that week.

She told defence counsel, Mr Michael O’Higgins SC (with Mr Sean Gillane BL) that Morgan was a "good friend" with whom she "occasionally slept".

Edridge claimed she leased four other premises for the brothel operation: an apartment at Malton House in the International Financial Services Centre district which was used as a call-centre for the business; an apartment at Herbert Lane in the Ballsbridge area to which gardaí followed Morgan and Edridge; and two other premises at Donnybrook Court and at Ardee House, Rathmines.

The Malton House and Herbert Lane apartments were also raided in the "Quest" project on October 10, 2005 and documents as well as cache of mobile telephones used in the brothel operation were recovered.

Detective Garda Kenneth Donnelly said one of the phones had the number "666" clearly marked above the screen and there was an instruction outlining that this phone marked be used only for texting and calling clients

Detective Garda Larry Duggan said one of the documents found in the kitchen at Herbert Lane was an unsigned six-month contract naming Morgan as employer and Edridge as employee.